Neon Genesis Evangelion - Revelation
by FinalEva
Summary: A month has passed since the death of Tabris, the 17th angel. But a revelation occurs, and from the ashes of disaster, a new threat...and a new child...shall arise...(Chapter 2 is now in! Comments very much wanted!)
1. Wish/Wurfel mit mir, Asuka...

Believe it or not, Evangelion does not belong to me, but alas, it is the sole property of GAINAX and Project Eva. No infringement is intended.  
  
Note: Yes, I'm very well aware this is not very original. I don't really like it all that much myself. It was simply written to fix the "little" obstacle that was EoE. Don't worry, it gets better.  
  
NEON GENESIS  
EVANGELION: Revelation  
  
Collection 1.1  
Episode 27  
Wish/"Würfel mit mir, Asuka…"  
  
Blue sky. Clouds. Shinji looked all around him, and all he could see was sky and clouds.  
And people.  
He recognized them all. Asuka, Ayanami, Misato, his classmates, Maya, Hyuga, Shigeru, Mother. Father. They were all there, clapping.  
"Congratulations!" said Asuka.  
"Congratulations!" said Maya.  
"Congratulations!" said his parents. He had never felt such warmth. Such gratitude. Such kindness.  
Like a dagger, a different voice pierced the blanket of warmth that surrounded Shinji. The sky and the people all started to fade. The voice, that of a female, called to him.  
"Shinji…"  
No…thought Shinji, pleading with the voice. Not now. Please.  
"Shinji?"  
  
As Shinji opened his eyes, he made out the form of Misato Katsuragi at his bedroom door.   
"Oh…hello, Misato…" said Shinji, sluggishly.  
"I was just on my way to headquarters and I thought I'd remind you that you might have to come in later tonight for a harmonics test. I'll call you if you do."  
"Oh…well, thanks…"  
After a few seconds of tense silence, Misato spoke up.  
"I…well, I heard you talking in your sleep. Are you ok?"  
"I'm fine…"  
"Because if there's ever anything you need to talk about…"  
Shinji quickly interrupted. "I'm fine."  
Misato considered pressing the issue, but thought against it.   
"Well, then I'll see you later."  
As she walked towards the entryway, she couldn't help but feel slightly hurt.  
All I want to do is help. But since the incident with Nagisa, he's become sheltered again.  
Misato got in her car and tried to start it up. Eventually, the engine turned over.  
At least it isn't as bad as when it happened. He was almost as unresponsive as Asuka…"  
Asuka. Shinji's plight was replaced by that of the Second Child's. She had been lying comatose in NERV's special hospital since the 15th Angel had ravaged her mind.  
These children have sacrificed more than any of us, she thought.  
Probably more than we deserve.  
  
As Sub-commander Fuyutsuki walked into the office of Gendo Ikari, he couldn't help but notice his coffee had become cold. The half awake Fuyutsuki didn't appreciate this. He was not a morning person.  
Looking up from his cup, he saw Ikari sitting at his desk, hands folded in front of him, the morning light deepening his eyes, making him look even more sinister.  
If such a thing were possible, thought Fuyutsuki.  
"You said you had news for me?" asked Ikari.  
"Yes. There was a vote late last night on whether or not to start with the reconstruction of Tokyo-3."  
"And?"  
"It passed. The Tokyo-3 Reconstruction Agency will be overseeing the different contractors for the duration of the process. It was agreed that we would supervise the reconstruction of the Tokai district."  
"I assume we have agents from Intelligence in the Agency?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Excellent. This once a gain proves that humanity, not some loathsome insect or lizard, is the most resilient species of them all."  
"And the most arrogant…"  
"Both of which we may have to prove once again."  
"What?"  
"Recently an archeological team recovered more fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We were able to intercept them before they returned to Japan with their findings."  
"What have you found?"  
"It is…inconclusive at this time."  
"In other words, you just don't want to tell me."  
"Perhaps." A long silence ensued, eventually ended by Ikari. "I will tell you this. Times will be harder than before. This is simply the calm in the storm, and we must use it to build up our defenses.  
"I understand the Americans have finished the production of Eva Unit 05."  
Fuyutsuki knew where this was going. He just wished it wasn't so. "Yes," he said, reluctantly. "but they're broke because of it. The construction only took 2 months."  
"It is also my understanding that they have found a pilot."  
"Ikari, what about our current pool of candidates? Surely you'd rather pick from that than from a foreign source?"  
"Our last two pilots have not worked out, and though they will return eventually, it is not soon enough. Inform the Americans that we will take on Unit 05 and its pilot. Classify him as the 6th Child."  
"Yes, sir."  
"Also, inform Dr. Akagi that she will have to prepare another cage."  
"Of course."  
As Fuyutsuki left to perform the tasks at hand, he asked himself a question he had asked many times before.  
Are we really doing the right thing?  
  
Thousands of feet below the surface of Tokyo-3 stood Shinji, attending to what had become a small project and stress reliever of his.  
Caring for Kaji's watermelon plants.  
He had found that Kaji had been right about one thing: growing plants was pleasurable. By watering them, eliminating any weeds or pests, and just watching them grow, Shinji felt he had actually accomplished something.  
Yet Shinji had been right too. Sometimes a plant would die, insects would damage the plants, or he'd pick a watermelon too early, or too late. This caused him pain, just as he'd expected it would.  
As he was watering the plants, he contemplated the dream he'd had the night before.  
  
Misato…  
She was our…teacher?  
Nothingness.  
And cold.  
I felt…alone.  
Then…  
Sky?  
Yes, I was in the sky  
Surrounded by people…people I knew  
They were…saying something…what was it?  
There was warmth, then.   
And kindness…  
What does it all mean?  
  
Shinji sighed. Whenever he tried to interpret his dreams, it always ended up with him being even more confused than before.   
Finished with watering, he turned to grab his shovel, stopping to stare at the large pyramid that was NERV headquarters. Turing his attention back to the plants, his thoughts shifted to that of a different matter.   
Ritsuko mentioned that there were only seventeen Angels, and… Shinji still couldn't bring himself to even think Kaworu's name without bringing back painful memories. …he was the last one…so why do we still need to do tests? Are there more Angels? Do they plan on using them against…people?  
Shinji began to remove a weed that had eluded him. Nice and gently as to not harm the roots of the surrounding plants, just as Kaji had shown him.   
I would never…could never do it…I've hurt too many people already…Toji, his sister…and…  
Sighing again, he removed the weed, placing it in the bucket. After grabbing his tools and brushing the dirt from his pants, he turned and walked in the direction of NERV headquarters, making one more stop before heading back to the surface.   
  
In one of the many corridors that NERV consisted of, Mistao was looking for the nearest elevator, a stack of papers in one hand and her 4th cup of coffee in the other.  
Turning left, she noticed the walls being a different color than those in the previous corridor.   
Must be in one of the reconstructed areas…she thought.  
That was not the only thing she noticed. A few feet away was a woman with short, blonde hair and a lab coat.   
It couldn't be…  
"Ritsuko?" Misato shouted, to no avail. The woman kept walking.  
"Ritsuko!"  
Misato ran to caught up to her, spilling coffee in the process.  
"Dammit Ritsuko, I know it 's you, just stop!"  
The woman stopped and slowly turned to Misato, proving in fact to be Dr.   
Ritsuko Akagi.   
"Hello Misato…"  
"Why are you here? I thought Commander Ikari…"  
"My imprisonment has been put on an indefinite hold."  
"Why?"  
Ritsuko continued walking, Misato close behind.  
"Other than the fact that he needed me, it's none of your business."  
Misato wasn't surprised by the comment, she had already expected a harsh rebuttal.  
"Then can you tell me why one of the spare cages is being prepared?"  
Ritsuko handed her a clipboard. Quickly reading through the first page, she was shocked to find out…  
"We're taking on another Eva? But, we don't even have a pilot for Unit 02 and all our possible candidates have moved out. Who's suppose to pilot it?"  
"Turn the page."  
Misato did as she was instructed. Turning the page she came upon the picture of a boy with short blonde hair and bright green eyes.   
"This is him, eh? She eyed the first name. "Who do you say his name?"  
"Jonathan. Jonathan Ayamoto. He's an American, though I believe it's his father is Japanese…"  
"Oh…"  
Ritsuko stopped and opened the door to her office. She started to walk in.  
"Ritsuko?"  
She stopped.  
"It's good to have you back."  
Grabbing the clipboard, she continued to walk into her office. "I have work to do, Misato." The door closed, leaving an air of gloom. Sighing, Misato turned and proceeded along her original course to the elevator.  
  
Shinji was all too familiar with the 1st Cranial Nerve section of the hospital. Even when he was just visiting someone, it made him uncomfortable.  
Finding Asuka's room, he opened the door to see Rei standing in front of him.  
"Oh! Um…Rei…hi…uh…" As Shinji struggled for something to say, Rei simply stared at him.  
"Excuse me."  
Shinji looked up and quickly moved out of the way.  
"I…I'm sorry…"  
Rei turned and slowly walked past him. He walked outside, the door closing behind him. Slowly, he moved to the bed.  
"Asuka.."  
Though her back was turned to him, he could notice she had become more pale and thin since he saw her last. He followed the IV in her hand to see a sac of orange liquid, slowly swaying.   
"I.." he stopped, trying to find the right words. "I'm scared of Misato and Rei…help me Asuka…help me…". he grabbed her, desperately shaking in a futile attempt to wake her up. "Asuka, Asuka…Asuka!" He stopped, his head landing on her arm. "You're always making fun of me, always calling me an idiot…please, just say something…Asuka!"  
Pulling on her one last time, he managed to turn her onto her back, thought mistakenly causing her bed sheet to fall to the floor.  
Shinji stood there, staring at the bare chested Asuka in front of him, violently shaking.  
"I…I…I…"  
Resisting the many urges inside him, he picked up the sheet and covered her up. He bowed his head and shame, spilling out an endless wave of apologies.  
  
"Asuka…"  
Asuka awoke to find herself floating in a dark nothingness.  
"Asuka.."  
She turned to see the form of a woman far away.  
"Asuka, darling…"  
"It's from Germany, Asuka. I think it's your mother."  
"Mama!" As she floated towards her mother, Asuka saw that is was not her that she was talking to, but a small doll.  
"No…Mama, that's not me, I'm your daughter, not that stupid doll!"  
Her mother ignored her and continued to cradle the doll.  
"Your hair's so pretty, Asuka."  
"Do you pilot Eva only for the praise of others?"  
"Mama, please, look at me! MAMA!"  
The scene switched to that of a dark hospital room. Asuka stood next to the bed, watching her mother putting her head in a noose.  
"Würfel mit mir, Asuka…"  
"What? No…Mama, please…"  
"Come to heaven with me Asuka…don't you want to be with me…?"  
Asuka slowly walked away from her mother, now looking directly at her.  
"Please Asuka, I love you…die with me…"  
"No, I don't want to die!"  
"But don't you love me?"  
Asuka, now shaking, fell to her knees.  
"Why are you doing this?"  
"Würfel mit mir, Asuka…"  
"Mama, please…"  
"We could be together forever and ever…"  
"Mama…"  
  
Still a nervous wreck, Shinji heard a large beeping sound. Looking up, he noticed it coming from the heart monitor. Looking to Asuka, he noticed her slowly relaxing.  
"Asuka? Asuka!" Shinji ran out the door.  
"Someone, please, help! Someone, help!" Turning back to Asuka, a thought started to creep into his mind.   
Run…it said. Run away.   
No… I mustn't…run…away…  
  
  
"I love you, Asuka…"  
"Mama…"  
Walking closer to her mother, the room started to brighten up. She soon saw another figure. As she got closer, she made out the form of herself hanging from a noose in her plug suit, limp, pale. Smiling.  
"No…  
"Asuka…"  
"This isn't right…it can't be…"  
The hospital room faded, leaving Asuka alone again in the nothingness.  
"Die with me…" Her mother's voice echoed softly through the void.  
"No!" cried Asuka.  
  
As Shinji debated with himself, the heart monitor started to subside its chorus of alerts, and Asuka started to move. Faster and faster, her head moved back and forth. Unbeknownst to Shinji, he was moving forward towards Asuka's bed, strangely mesmerized by the sight, eventually reaching the bed.  
"Asuka…?"  
  
"Don't complain Asuka, that's not what good girls do…"  
"No!" Asuka fell to her knees. "Stop this!"  
"Be a good girl Asuka, and die…"  
Finally, Asuka got up on her feet. "No…no! I don't need you! I didn't need you before and I don't need you now!"  
"Die, Asuka. Die with me…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No!"  
"Die…"  
"No, dammit! I don't want to…"  
  
"DIE!"  
The word echoed throughout the hospital. Asuka sat up, crying and trembling violently. She looked over and saw Shinji standing there in shock.  
"Shinji!"  
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.  
"Shinji…" 


	2. The 6th Child/She dreamt a dream of deat...

(To see an almost complete picture of the new pilot, go to http://animeboards.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=537617711 )  
  
  
NEON GENESIS  
EVANGELION: Revelation  
  
Collection 1.1  
Episode 28  
The 6th Child/She dreamt a dream of death  
  
Deep within NERV, Ritsuko Akagi stood on the cage that would soon hold Evangelion Unit 05, surrounded by hundreds of orange clad workers laboring to finish the cage before the Eva's arrival the next day.  
Peering down at the latest status report, a cup of coffee appeared in front of her. Taking the cup, she looked in the direction the cup had come from and saw Misato.  
"Hello Major." Ritsuko said quickly before returning to her work.  
"Ritsuko, what will you be doing about Asuka?" Misato asked.  
"Well, there's no more evidence of mental contamination, and she had been recovering well physically, so her status has been renewed"  
"Well, that will make her happy…"  
"Though she will be starting all over. In fact, the activation test tomorrow will involve both Units 02 and 05 to see where each pilots starting indicators are."  
"Oh…so how's the work been progressing?"   
"Units 01 and 02 are in routine condition. Unit 00's regeneration is nearly finished."  
"It's amazing you were able to regenerate its body with only a few fragments."  
"Yes…the Eva's may be fine, but as for this…" Ritsuko's arm swept the room. "It's absolutely ridiculous. This was only mean as a temporary cage. Add the fact that we've had to adjust the restraints position due to the Eva's specifications…"  
"What sort of specifications?"  
"For one thing, the standard progressive knife is replaced with a sword."  
"I suppose that would help with the Eva not having to get so close…"  
"Also, its internal batteries last longer at 10 minutes in low power and 8 minutes in high-activity situations, and what could prove to be the most useful, full aerial combat capabilities."  
"You mean…it can fly?"  
"Yes. Due to the wing pack on the back, we've had to adjust the cage to fit it."  
"I assume all the Eva's will be outfitted with these new features?"  
"Yes, all but the flight pack, at least for now. Installing them would require a major overhaul. I'm not even sure if it would be possible with Unit 00." Ritsuko paused to sip her coffee. "So when does the 6th Child arrive?"  
"A few hours from now, I'm suppose to pick him up and later introduce him to the other children." Misato stopped to do the same. "Tell me Ritsuko, why is everyone in such a rush?"  
"Well the Eva arrives tomorrow and we were only given 2 weeks notice…"  
"Let me rephrase that," said Misato, quickly interrupting. "Why are you and Commander Ikari in such a rush?"  
"Misato…"  
"No Ritsuko. No more secrets! I have a right to know what's going on. So do the children, and so does everyone else here."  
Ritsuko looked up from her work and turned to Misato. "Misato, you'll be told when you need to know, along with everyone else. Until then, it's none of your business."  
Misato stared at Ritsuko for a long time in a quiet battle of wits. She eventually turned and walked to the exit.  
"Don't dig where you're not suppose to!" Ritsuko shouted, most of it being swallowed up by the surrounding noise. Misato still heard it, though, and continued walking.  
"Misato, please! I've already lost Kaji and I don't want to lose you too!"  
This stopped her, only she couldn't turn to face Ritsuko. Arms trembling, she could only give a small, barely audible reply.  
"You won't…" Misato quickly walked out the exit and into the corridor.  
'Though I may have lost you… '  
  
Far from the reaches of humanity, 12 large monoliths, representing the members of the secret organization Seele, stood in a circle around a bright being of light, vaguely resembling the form of a human. It stared directly at the representation of the chairman of Seele, Lorenz Keel.   
"Our seed has been planted," Keel said confidently.  
"And the fruit of our effort shall soon be reaped." said the 8th monolith.   
"It will rot and die right before your eyes," said the being, its voice echoing loudly throughout the dark chamber.  
"How dare you speak in such a manner to us!" The being turned to the 7th monolith.  
"I will say what I wish…" it said. It lifted its arm and a large beam of light hit the monolith, causing it to disappear.  
"Enough of this!" shouted Keel. "In order for our scenario to run as we have planned it we must eliminate all obstacles."  
"Gendo Ikari." said the 11th.  
"Our former collaborator." said the 5th.  
"He holds all the necessary tools, but not for long," said Keel. "With your assistance our plan will succeed."  
"Of course…"  
"Do not fail us…" The monoliths vanished. The being slowly started to fade.  
"Fools…you had best not fail me…"   
  
In the 1st Cranial Nerve section of NERV's special hospital, Shinji Ikari quietly walked down the corridor, heading for Room 303, the current residence of fellow Evangelion pilot Asuka Langley Sohryu. As he walked, he shoulders were slumped and he dragged his feet slightly as usual.   
Finding the room, he stopped and rung the bell. Not hearing any reply, he rung it again, to no avail.   
She must be asleep…he thought. I suppose I can wait inside until she wakes up…  
Walking inside, his eyes scanned the room to find a large assortment of flowers, cards, and other small trinkets, eventually falling upon Asuka. Shinji walked to the chair beside the bed and sat down. Noticing the cards on the table next to him, he pondered looking in them.   
After 15 minutes of debating with himself, he slowly grabbed a bright red one and opened it up. It read:  
  
'Asuka-  
It's great to see you're finally back with us! Shinji and I look forward to you returning home!  
  
-Misato'  
  
'I never said that…'Shinji thought, placing the card back on the table. He grabbed another one, though he was unable to read it. As he was thinking of what it said, he failed to notice Asuka over his shoulder.  
"It's German," she said, yawning.  
Startled, Shinji jumped form the chair, dropping the card.  
"I'm sorry…I was, um…well, you were…and…"  
"Don't worry about it. It's just a card from my stepmother saying she's glad to see I'm ok, she misses me, same as the rest…"  
"So…" Shinji put the card back to its original position. "…you're not mad?"  
"Of course not, I just said it's ok!" screamed Asuka, her harsher, and what Shinji considered normal, voice returning.  
"I'm sorry…"  
Sighing, Asuka decided to change the subject. "So why are you here?"  
"Well, since people are returning to the city, there's enough, well…there's enough students that have returned, so school's starting tomorrow, and since you're being discharged today…oh, and the 6th Child arrives today."  
"Oh, really?"  
"Yeah, Misato's picking him up now, and she wanted to introduce us later."  
"Ok…"  
"And by the way, Misato told me to tell you that you and the 6th Child are going to have your first activation tests tomorrow in…Matsushiro…"  
"Matsushiro?"  
"Yeah, they got done rebuilding it a few weeks ago."  
"Oh…well in that case I should get ready, shouldn't I?"  
"I suppose…"  
Asuka threw her legs over the bed and pointed to her cane. "Can you hand me that? I gotta go…"  
Shinji grabbed the cane and handed it to her. "Go where?"  
Asuka forcefully grabbed it from him. "Where do you think, stupid!"  
"Oh…" He held his hand out to help her, but she hit it away.   
"I can do it!" Shakily, she used her cane to get up from her bed, eventually getting to the bathroom, Shinji following her in case she fell. As she entered the bathroom, Shinji stood there.  
"What?" she asked.  
"Don't you need help getting…"  
"What is that, a perverted joke!" Asuka slammed the door in his face, leaving him alone.  
  
In the office of Commander Ikari, Ritsuko stood in front of his desk, staring into his eyes with deep hatred and love, both of which Ikari knew he could easily manipulate.  
"What is the status of the A-10 Complement Project?" he asked.  
"It is progressing well, commander. The components are being produced as we speak."  
"Excellent. And the cage?"  
"It will be finished by the time Unit 05 arrives tomorrow."  
"The other Eva units?"  
Ritsuko felt as if she was in an interrogation.   
'I bet he's enjoying this in his own sick way…'she thought. 'Bastard.'  
"Unit 00 is 99.7% complete with regeneration, and Units 01 and 02 are on operational standby." She knew this was pointless; she was simply repeated what he already knew. "If you will excuse me, commander, I have things to prepare for tomorrow's activation tests."  
"Of course. You may leave."  
Walking to the door, she couldn't help but feel…guilty, though she didn't know why.  
'I'm a scientist and yet what I'm doing is incredibly illogical…you'd be proud, Mother.'  
  
Elsewhere in NERV, Shinji, Rei and Asuka, still slightly supported by a cane, stood in the up most level of Central Dogma, along with multiple technicians working to give the computers an upgrade.  
"What's taking Misato so long?" asked Asuka, though not to anyone in particular. "She was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!"  
"She never has been good at being on time…" muttered Hyuga, under his control panel.  
Just as he finished his sentence, two people came up the elevator. One was Misato, the other, the 6th Child.  
"Sorry I'm late, it took forever to get around the construction."  
"Uh huh…" Asuka said, sarcastically.   
"Everyone," Misato motioned to the boy next to her. "This is the 6th Child, Jonathan Ayamoto."   
Jonathan quickly waived, not saying anything. He was the tallest one there, easily sticking out among the rest. He had sharp facial features, long yet strikingly bright blonde hair and incredibly dark brown eyes. The expression on his face gave Shinji the impression that he was angry, maybe even…hurt.  
"Jonathan, this is Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, and Asuka Langley Sohryu, your fellow pilots." Shinji and Asuka waived; Rei stood silent. Jonathan quickly eyed each of them, save Asuka, which he took a little longer. She noticed this and did not appreciate it.  
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." said Asuka.  
"What?" Jonathan quietly asked, his voice deep, but soft.   
"You heard me! Pervert…"  
"Pervert? I was just…"  
"Just what? Undressing me with your eyes?"  
"No! What…I…" Scrambling for something to say, he turned to Misato for some sort of guidance. This was not the introduction Jonathan expected.  
Misato sighed and ended the conversation. "Alright, that's enough! The three of you can go, I still have to show Jonathan around a little more." The first three children left, Misato and Jonathan not far behind. Not noticing the bundle of conduits under his feet, Jonathan got his foot caught, momentum causing him to fall forward onto Asuka, bringing them both to the floor. Jonathan quickly got back up.  
"Oh my god, I am so sorry…" he said, still trying to get his foot loose.  
"You pervert!" Asuka swung her cane, hitting Jonathan in the shin, causing him to cry out in pain. She quickly left, leaving her cane behind and everyone in shock. Not far away, Shigeru Aoba sighed and returned his attention to his work.  
"Can someone tell me who the genius was who decided we need teenagers as pilots…?" he murmured.   
  
With day having passed into night, and no tasks appointed to her, Rei Ayanami returned to her designated apartment room in the industrial district of Tokyo-3. Entering her room, Rei neatly removed her shoes and headed for the shower.   
The apartment was incredibly decrepit. The cold steel walls were rusted, garbage lie on the floor and month old bloodied bandages sat in an overflowed pail. She didn't mind this, though.   
Rei owned no personal possessions for she had no need for them, save for one small item.  
A pair of broken glasses.  
Leaving the shower, Rei noticed she was tired. Replacing the dull brown towel with a blue nightgown, she quietly got into bed. Her eyelids slowly fell, eventually falling into what she thought would be a dreamless slumber.  
  
'Rei found herself in a dark void. She could not feel any ground under her feet, yet she was stationary.   
"Hi!" she heard a young, cheerful voice. Startled, she turned toward the source of the voice, finding herself looking at a small shaft of light, blinding against the dark backdrop.  
"Who are you?" asked Rei.  
"I am of the white egg!" The being moved closer to Rei. As it got closer, she was able to make out the vague form of a small boy.  
"The white egg…"  
"Yes! We are alike!"  
"No. We are not."  
"Yes we are, except…" The boy's voice became saddened. "…you are of the black egg."  
Rei was unsure of how to answer the boy. "Yes…"  
The boy became cheerful again. "Come with me, we can be together!"  
"I cannot."  
"Yes you can, please?" As the boy grabbed her hand, thousands of images and feelings flashed through Rei's mind. Fire. Pain. Melting flesh. Hate. A large explosion. Tears. Screams. Blood.  
Death.'  
  
Her eyes flying open, Rei quickly sat up in her bed, soaking with sweat. Trying to catch her breath, she looked out the window to the sky, only to see dark clouds.  
And the moon.  
"Was that…a dream?"  
  
Jonathan lay in the dark in his new bed, unable to fall asleep. He had already tried listening to quiet music, counting, and many other remedies, none of which worked. So he simply decided to think to think of the day's events.  
'My god, it's only been a day and so much has happened…he thought. That Major Katsuragi is nice…not all that bad looking either. Jonathan got out of bed and walked to the refrigerator, running into a table and a stack of boxes along the way. Then there's the pilots…well, there's that redheaded bitch Asuka. All I had to do was look at her and she freaked out. Besides, why would a pilot have a cane, anyways…? The thought brought a slight pain to his shin as he returned back to his bed with a glass of milk. That Ikari kid seemed ok, quiet though…then again, I'm one to talk…but that, what's her name, Ayanami?…she was just plain strange. Blue hair, red eyes, so pale she was almost transparent…?" For a long time, Jonathan simply lay in bed, staring out the window, his thoughts creeping into darker areas…'  
  
'Jonathan loved Massachusetts. This had been the longest he had lived in one place for a long time; his parents work forced them to move a lot. They would tell him stories of how, for the first year of his life, he lived in a van because their home in Florida had been destroyed in the Second Impact. Of course Jonathan didn't remember it, but from what he had heard of the time immediately following Second Impact, he was glad he didn't.  
He knew his mother was some sort of biochemist, but whenever he asked is father what he did, he simply said he worked for a special branch of the military. Eventually he had just given up on the subject.  
The thought of his parents saddened him. They had been fighting a lot more recently. When they were fighting the night before, he could make out his father telling his mother something about "stop digging around" and something disappearing…what was it called, an "Eva", whatever that meant.  
Turning the corner on his bike, he saw police cars and an ambulance. Only upon closer inspection did he find they were at his house.  
As fast as he could, Jonathan quickly reached his house. Ripping away the police tape, he ran for his door, stopped by a police officer. Pulling himself free, he ran into his house and turned into his living room to find his father, shaking and mumbling angrily his favorite chair, covered in blood, though he had no wounds. Jonathan soon discovered it was not his own.'  
  
He was unable to finish the thought as he started to doze off, and eventually, fall asleep, a single tear running down his cheek.  
  
The next morning, in Class 2-A, Shinji and Asuka sat in their desk, hoping their friends had returned. Many of the original class, along with one addition, had returned since their homes had been rebuilt.  
"Asuka!" Asuka turned to see Hikari Horaki, the class rep, in the room. Nor far behind were Shinji's friends, Kensuke Aida and former Eva pilot Toji Suzahara. They walked over to Shinji and sat down.   
"Hey, look Hikari. The Three Stooges have been reunited…" Asuka said. Hikari giggled.  
Across the room, Shinji, Toji and Kensuke were loudly getting reacquainted.   
"It's great to see you Shinji!" said Kensuke.  
"Yeah, Shinji, we haven't seen you forever!" said Toji, patting Shinji on the back.  
"Yeah…" Shinji's gaze was unable to move from Toji's leg. Toji noticed this and sighed.  
"Shinji, I already told you. I don't blame you for what happened. It's not as if you were even in control of the stupid thing."  
"Besides," chimed in Kensuke. "the leg he has now works, even looks, virtually like his old one!"  
"Quiet you three!" yelled Hikari.  
"I see she's getting into her new role quick…" mumbled Kensuke. When he didn't hear a reply from Toji, he looked to him to see his head in that direction.   
"Well, it appears someone agrees with her…"  
Toji turned to Kensuke. "What's that suppose to mean?"  
Adjusting his glasses, he explained. "I'm simply implying you appear to have grown a soft side for a certain class rep…"  
"What? You'd better shut if before I pop you one!" Toji said, waiving a fist in Kensuke's face.  
As the two of them continued to bicker, Jonathan walked into the class.  
'Do they have to be so loud?' he thought. 'I could hear them from down the hall…'  
Locating his desired seat at the back of the room next to the window, he quickly walked to it and sat down, attracting the attention of the entire class.  
"Who is that?" Toji asked.  
"My guess would be he's the pilot of the new Evangelion Unit 05." Kensuke sighed. "Yet again, they looked right past me."  
"How did you know that?" Shinji asked.  
"I have my sources," Kensuke replied. "So you had to have talked to him by now. What's he like?"  
"I don't know…kinda quiet, I suppose…but he always seems mad about something…"  
"Tell me about it," said Toji.  
"All right everyone," shouted Hikari. "Class is starting. Stand up! Bow! Sit down!"  
"Thank you, Miss Horaki," the teacher said. "Now while many of you here are returning students, we have someone new with us. Mr. Ayamoto?"  
Jonathan stood up. "Yes sir?  
"Would you care to introduce yourself?"  
No…he thought. But do I have a choice?  
"Well, my name's Jonathan, um…I come from New Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. My father is Japanese, but my mother…" Jonathan paused. "…was American."  
"Thank you, Mr. Ayamoto. You may be seated." Jonathan bowed and quickly took a seat.  
"Now although you have just returned, it has been handed down to me that we are going on a class trip in two weeks on a hike for three days in the forests outside the city, which reminds me of a time in Okinawa a few years back, when I still had a good back…"  
Ignoring the teachers ramblings, which was one of many, Jonathan looked out the window, only to be interrupted by a tiny chirp from his laptop. He turned and read the screen:  
  
{NEW MESSAGE}  
  
Curious, he clicked on the icon to in fact see a small message.   
  
{Hi!}  
  
Looking around, Jonathan had no idea of who it was.  
  
{-Hello.-}  
{You're the 6th child, aren't you?}  
{-How did you know that?-}  
{You're friends over there are so loud I'd bet the people in the next room could hear them.}  
  
Jonathan laughed, for the first time in a while. The teacher was too involved with his flashback to notice.  
  
{-They're not my friends.-}  
{Why?}  
{-I just got here yesterday.-}  
{I like your laugh.}  
{-Uh, thanks…-}  
  
'This isn't Sohryu playing some stupid trick, is it?' he thought.  
  
{-Who are you?-}  
{Why does it matter?}  
{-Who are you?-}  
{You'll see.}  
  
The screen went blank, leaving Jonathan even more confused than before.  
At least I got a good laugh out of it…  
  
Later that day, Shinji, Asuka and Jonathan arrived at NERV's rebuilt testing facility at Matsushiro. There was no evidence of the incident only a few months prior.  
Shinji and Jonathan were in the men's locker room putting on their plug suits. While Shinji quickly got his on, Jonathan was having problems.  
"How do you tighten this thing?"  
"Uh, you press the button on your right wrist."  
"Oh." Doing as he was instructed, the white and green suit quickly wrapped around the contours of Jonathan's body. "Do these things have to be so tight?"  
"I guess…"  
Grabbing the two A-10 Neural Connectors, he placed them on his head. "Hey, do they go like this?"  
Shinji nodded, closing his locker and walking to the elevator, Jonathan not far behind.  
"So how did you become a pilot?" Jonathan asked.  
"My…my father brought me here…"  
"That's right, the commander's name is Ikari. He's your father, isn't he?"  
Not answering, Shinji pressed the button. Jonathan considered pressing the issue, but decided against it. He knew how delicate family matters could be.   
After a short wait, the elevator doors opened to reveal Asuka already there. Jonathan grumbled and walked in.  
"Well hello Shinji. I see you brought someone with you." The elevator continued its course to the cages.  
"So, 'Jonathan'", Asuka said sarcastically. "Are you looking forward to your first test?"  
"I don't know…"  
"Why, are you stupid?"  
"If I were, you wouldn't know it…"  
"What was that?!" Asuka screamed. Jonathan kept his eyes to the floor. "Hey, if you're going to insult someone, at least say it to their face!"  
His hands turning into fists, Jonathan looked up, directly into Asuka's eyes, taking her aback.   
"Bitch."  
Shinji and Asuka were very shocked.  
'I guess he's not so quiet after all…'Shinji thought.  
"How dare you say that you long haired…jerk!" As the elevator doors opened, Asuka stomped out, leaving a flood of German curse words in her wake. Shinji gave out a small laugh, and eventually, Jonathan did the same as they walked out to their respective cages.  
Maybe it won't be so bad here after all. he thought…  
  
In the entry plug of Unit 05, Jonathan sat in the chair, feeling sick.  
*Jonathan, is something wrong?* Misato asked over the comm.  
"I feel sick…"  
*You probably just swallowed too much LCL* Ritsuko said, coldly.  
*Oh, you poor thing, do you…* Asuka's sarcastic comment was quickly cut by Jonathan.  
Units 01, 02 and 05 stood in a recreation of Tokyo-3, Units 02 and 05 in the center, and Unit 01 farther away, armed with a rifle.  
Unit 05 was a dark green. Its body was exactly like that of Unit 02, but its head more resembled that of Unit 00. There was a green orb in the center, but on either side of it was a long vertical eye.  
"Misato," Shinji asked. "Why am I here?"  
*Just in case something happens, but don't worry, we're taking the highest precautions, so you hopefully won't have to do anything, ok?*  
"Ok…"  
  
In the command car, Misato cut the connection and turned to Ritsuko.  
"What happens if Units 01 and 02 can't stop Unit 05?"  
"We have a back-up plan," she replied. "Ok, Asuka, take a step forward."  
*Roger.* The entire crew watched as Asuka easily took a step.  
"Incredible…" said Maya. "Her synch ratio is already at 20%."  
"Good job, Asuka," Ritsuko said. "Now it's your turn Jonathan. Take a step forward."  
  
Back in the entry plug, Jonathan was feeling apprehensive.   
"How?" He could hear Ritsuko sigh over the comm.  
*We already went over this. You don't even imagine it in your head, you just let it happen. Remember, you're linked to the Eva.*  
"Ok…"  
Slowly but surely, Unit 05 raised its right leg, but it lost its balance and feel on its face, crushing the road below.  
  
As Unit 05 fell, Shinji targeted the entry plug and would have fired if not for Misato's voice.  
'Shinji, wait, he just fell!'  
Violently shaking, he watched as Unit 05 got up, extremely surprised, even scared, of himself.  
"Misato…I almost…"  
'It's ok, Shinji, there was no harm done…'  
"But…I almost killed him…"  
  
"That hurt!" Jonathan said as he rubbed his head.  
*Of course it did, stupid! You're linked with the thing!*  
"But that much?"  
*Idiot…* Asuka's face was replaced with Misato's.  
*Jonathan, we need to reconfigure some things, so just sit tight, ok?*  
"Ok…"  
Sighing, Jonathan's mind began to wander, again thinking back to a few months prior…  
  
'Turning into the living room, he immediately saw his mother with three holes in her chest. Her head was turned to him, her dead gaze peering into his very being. Her face had a grim smile on it.  
"Hey Jon, come here son…it's ok…" his father said. Turning to him, he saw something he'd not seen before.  
A small pistol in his hand.  
"She should have listened to me, Jon. I told her what would happen, but she didn't listen," he said as the police handcuffed him and took him away…'  
  
Jonathan's thoughts were interrupted by a strange him and the entry plug turning red.  
"Hey, what's going on…?"  
  
"Dr. Akagi!" shouted Maya. Ritsuko ran to her station and read the screen.  
"No, this can't be!"   
"What?" Misato asked.  
"A berserker!"  
  
Unit 05's mouth opened to reveal jagged red teeth. Shinji started to pull the trigger, but it was too late as Unit 05's wings appeared from its back. The wings were glowing, almost skeletal in appearance, as if they had been taken from the fossils of an ancient bird.   
Raising itself into the air, it was able to avoid the gunfire. It quickly swooped down and crashed into Unit 01's chest.  
  
"The pilot's been knocked unconscious!" shouted Maya.  
"Eject the entry plugs and cut Unit 05's power!"  
"Unit 01's entry plug has escaped, but Unit 05 has rejected the signal," stated Aoba. "Power cable is severed!"  
  
7:58:26  
  
"Unit 05 is coming about and headed for Unit 02!" shouted Hyuga.  
"Asuka, watch out!" screamed Misato.  
  
Barely dodging Unit 05s attack, Asuka turned and grabbed its leg, causing them both to fall. Taking out her progressive knife, she stabbed it. With a shrill scream, Unit 05 rose into the air, taking Unit 02 along with it.  
  
"Maya, initiate Plan B…"  
"What's Plan B?" Misato asked.  
"We blow up the entry plug."  
"What? Belay that!"  
"Misato!"  
"Asuka can handle it!"  
  
Continuing to rise, the two Evangelions fought in midair. Climbing onto Unit 05's back, Asuka failed to notice Unit 05 had already taken out its progressive sword. As it was about to deliver a deadly blow to Unit 02's head, the power cable ran out of length, the force pulling them both down and spinning out of control, both of them now running on internal power.  
  
In the entry plug, Asuka looked over to see to her internal power.  
  
Evangelion Unit 02: 4:56:41  
Evangelion Unit 05: 4:58:02  
  
"Shiest…"  
  
Falling fast, the two Eva's continued to fight, the prog sword nearing Unit 02's chest. Millimeters from death, and the ground approaching quickly, Asuka used her last bit of strength to break Unit 05's wrist, grab the prog sword and stab it in the chest as she pushed away. Moments later, both of them landed on the ground.  
With the prog sword having damaged Unit 05's internal batteries, it quickly deactivated.  
  
"How are the pilots?" Misato asked?  
"Both Asuka and Jonathan are unconscious," Aoba responded. "Recovery crews are on their way."  
Sighing, Misato turned to Ritsuko and gave her an angry look.  
How could she even think of doing such a thing…?  
  
Terminal Dogma held many dark secrets. Very few people had access to it. One of those selected few was Rei Ayanami.  
Lead by the presence in her dream the previous night, Rei had found herself in a long dark corridor.  
She could feel the presence nearing her. Only seconds later did she stop at an unlabeled door. Entering her access code, the door opened, and Rei walked inside.   
The room was very large. Computers lined the walls, and in the center of the room was a small vertical tank, holding a violet-hued liquid…and something else.  
Approaching the tank, Rei eyed the bundle of organic matter. It resembled nothing in particular; it was simply a large mass of flesh and muscle.   
As she touched the cold tank, an eye appeared from the mass. Its violet iris and pupil rolled down to meet her gaze, its expression vaguely resembling joy.  
Gasping, she backed away from the tank, leaving the room.  
"Was that…him…?"  
---------- 


End file.
